After our day within the Greenlandic Sizzling Springs of Uunartoq and an excellent evening’s sleep onboard Ocean Albatros, we lastly made it to Qassiarsuk (Brattahlíð). This is likely one of the first settlements of Erik The Purple, who was banished from Iceland centuries in the past. The truth is, it was the primary everlasting settlement by European settlers that explored the Arctic area.
To this present day, there’s a presence within the space, and its place in Greeland is preserved for generations to return, not least as a result of it’s a UNESCO World Heritage web site. This all made visiting Qassiarsuk in Greenland a should whereas on our expedition.
We anchored shiny and early, round 7 a.m., with the Greenland solar beaming down over the nonetheless seas surrounding the shoreline. Inside a matter of minutes after getting up, we had been raring to go. Properly, after a fast breakfast and freshly-brewed espresso that’s.
Now, one of many best methods of visiting Qassiarsuk in Greenland is by Zodiac. In the event you’re unfamiliar, it’s a small rubber boat that may get a lot nearer to shore than greater ships.
Ocean Albatros has a heap of Zodiacs onboard, and they’re winched down when friends are as a result of make landfall. This makes it very easy to go to smaller and harder-to-reach locations that massive ships can’t get to. They actually open up complete new areas to discover, particularly in international locations like Greenland, the place harbours are at a minimal.
We boarded our zodiac from Ocean Albatros and headed in the direction of the small jetty in Qassiarsuk. There’s no large-scale harbour or every other technique to get to Qassiarsuk – simply this small jetty, which leads straight into Qassiarsuk itself.
It’s a tiny city, extra of a neighborhood of round 15 homes. This, on the face of it, sounds fairly vanilla, however belief me, it made it additional particular. It felt so particular to be visiting such a small however traditionally essential place – it actually didn’t matter concerning the dimension or the quantity of individuals round.
Visiting Qassiarsuk in Greenland is all concerning the quieter tempo of life, and it actually felt like that as quickly as we arrived. Plus, that’s the fantastic thing about Greenland, in any case.
It’s one of many least-populated international locations in the entire world. Every landfall you make in far-flung areas appears like an genuine expedition. You’re discovering new locations you might by no means have thought-about visiting earlier than. Properly, at the very least for me, that was the case.
I imply, I knew an excellent few locations I needed to go to, however each different cease and expedition was a bonus for me. Qassiarsuk is unquestionably a really pleased bonus.
Anyway, I’m rambling once more.
After making landfall at Qassiarsuk, we met a neighborhood information who defined the total historical past (intimately) of Erik the Purple. He knew his stuff and it made visiting Qassiarsuk in Greenland so worthwhile. Like, I’m not ashamed to say I didn’t know hundreds about Erik the Purple beforehand – now, I go away as a fully-fledged historian!
I don’t wish to spoil the tour, however it actually gave perception into the full of life and fairly traumatic historical past of Eric the Purple and his banishment from Iceland.
Our tour took round 60 minutes, and we ended up visiting the normal stone homes and church buildings constructed centuries in the past. It was, the truth is, the primary Norse settlement in Greenland, and it was so unbelievable to see.
The reconstructions are actually in delight of place in Qassiarsuk to discover and we headed into Thodhildur’s church of Brattahlid and discovered a lot extra about early Norse settlers.
Plus, the unique foundations nonetheless exist, simply reverse the pink church on the town. It’s so epic to see.
We wandered throughout the grime tracks, meandered the rolling hills, stated hello to a number of the locals and ultimately made it to the statue of Eric the Purple, which overlooks the city.
The views from right here had been spectacular, and we might see proper throughout the Tunulliarfik Fjord and Narsarsuaq throughout the water. All of it felt so particular. We ended up simply sitting right here for an excellent 45 minutes, having fun with the view and the sheer silence of Greenland.
The entire place is tiny, however it’s completely definitely worth the go to for its historical past and attraction. Naturally, we went into the native retailer to seize some snacks earlier than boarding our Zodiac again to Ocean Albatros. It’s the one retailer within the small neighborhood, and so they promote all the pieces and something you would ever need. From chocolate to iPhones, they’d it.
After boarding, we rapidly modified and made it for dinner in the principle restaurant on degree 5. We bagged a desk by the window and watched the views round Narsaq, the place the mountains gave technique to the ocean. It was bliss.
Because the anchor rose on Ocean Albatros, we returned to the open ocean across the Labrador Sea. Our sights had been set additional north. To Nuuk, the capital metropolis of Greenland.
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